Past Distinction Award Winners
The Loyalist Alumni Distinction Awards were created to honour the contributions Loyalist College graduates make to society through career success and volunteer work.
On November 24, 2006, five outstanding Loyalist graduates joined family and friends to celebrate their accomplishments.
Meet the 2006 Distinction Award Recipients
Chris Currah
Hotel & Restaurant Management, 1993 Chris Currah has become one of Prince Edward County's favourite restauranteurs. As the owner/operator of Currah's Café and Restaurant in downtown Picton, his specialties include fresh seafood, gourmet coffees and Ontario VQA wines. After graduating from Hotel and Restaurant Management at Loyalist College in 1993, Chris worked at the Banff Resort for 15 months. He returned to Picton in the role of general manager for the opening of the Waring House Restaurant. He then partnered with the owners of the Merrill Inn to launch their food and beverage operation. That success led to the opening of his own café and restaurant in the old Bristol Building on Main Street beside the Regent Theatre in Picton.
Vera Blower
Early Childhood Education, 1972
Reflecting on her college years, Vera Blower says that her two years at Loyalist College changed her life. "I established friendships that I have maintained over the years." She was a part of the first graduating class in the Early Childhood Education program at Loyalist in 1972. Her career has since taken many paths. Vera worked in nursery schools, parent co-ops and child care centres, even owning her own centre for a while. After working as an educational assistant with developmentally challenged children, she set up a family resource centre in Port Hope. While employed as an early child care consultant with the Ministry of Community and Social Services, she was involved in the development of school-based child care and the licensing of child care centres.
Shilo Bellis
Radio Broadcasting, 2003
Shilo Bellis graduated from Loyalist College in 2003 from the Radio Broadcasting program. A one month placement at NewCap Radio in Moncton, New Brunswick impressed his bosses so much that they wouldn’t let him go home. It is with an upbeat, easy tone and a great sense of humour, that he delivers The Goin’ Home Show each weekday afternoon on XL96 radio. He impresses his colleagues with calm organization amidst the daily chaos of on-air broadcasting.
Rick Smith
Creative Advertising, 1980
With over 26 years of experience in the Canadian advertising industry, Rick Smith developed a prolific career at some of Canada’s top advertising agencies. He graduated from Loyalist College’s Creative Advertising program in 1980. Right after graduation, Rick was hired by a small Toronto advertising agency as a direct result of his college placement program. Gaining valuable experience in his first couple of years on the job, Rick was recruited as an account executive by one of the world’s most famous advertising agencies, Ogilvy & Mather.
James Boone
Architectural Technician, 1990
Since graduating from Loyalist College in 1990 with an Architectural Technician diploma, James Boone has honed his skills on various construction projects across Canada. Before leaving Belleville he worked as a freelance draftsman in oilfield housing design for Sunoco Canada and then moved west to do survey work for a firm in Manitoba. After joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 1995, he was involved with structural projects in the Edmonton area, including three ‘Habitat for Humanity’ homes and the ‘Compassion House’, a transitional home for women suffering from breast cancer. He was then sent to Kingston, Jamaica to construct a support building for the Jamaica Defence Force in Camp Newcastle. In 2005 he travelled to war-torn Kandahar in Afghanistan, where he supervised local tradesmen in the construction of a 2,200 man camp in the southern province. This project gave him the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the Afghan people and gain insights into their culture. “You can imagine a young child in Bosnia or Afghanistan who is finally able to walk down the street to an actual school rather than to a tent on the side of the road. I find this work is very satisfying. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a family who couldn’t afford a home, get the home of their dreams.” James saw these challenges as an opportunity to make the world a better place.
During time off he can be found on the soccer field as a member of the 4 Wing Cold Lake soccer team or making sure that his sons, Kevin and Joseph, are at their respective basketball or soccer games.
Through his work on humanitarian projects, James has found a way to make a difference on a global scale as well as at home in Canada.
Know a Loyalist graduate who deserves to be recognized? Click here to nominate a graduate.
